When I was a teenager, I had a gold 1972 Pontiac Grand Ville (grandma car) with a 455 in it. We named it the Gold Gorilla. When we bought our gold Chevy Express earlier this year, the kids dubbed it the Gold Gorilla II. Right before we went on vacation, someone hit Marilyn, forcing her off the road into a large brick mailbox. The impact caused $17,600 in damage, so our insurance totaled the van. No one was hurt (Marilyn said it was like busting through a snowbank), but the person who hit us drove off. Luckily the insurance covered it. We are sad, but will make another trip to Missouri to get the same van, only we have to get a white one because that is all they have left. It is quite the pain to get everything worked out, but we will have many great memories in our new van. Following are some of our grandest memories from the Gold Gorilla II:
- David taking 13 kids sledding to Roan Mountain
- Trip to Kirtland, OH for Thankful Halsey Pratt's (PP Pratt's first wife) grave dedication
- Trips to Savannah, GA to meet Heimdals
- Trip to Alma, AK for the excavation of PP Pratt's grave
- 4500 mile trip across US for our July 2008 vacation (including sleeping in the van for 2 nights while David drove)
- Temple trips, with stops at Denny's and CiCis pizza afterward
- Mulitple hiking and biking trips.
- Saving Marilyn and Grace's life in the accident
- Taking out all the seats and hauling over 7000 lbs of food storage for the ward from the Knoxville cannery (over a number of trips)
- Getting 10-11 mpg in the city, and 14-16 mpg on the highway. It is well worth it for the room and sanity.
What memories do some of you have?
5 comments:
Oh my gosh! I didn't realize that your accident was that bad! I'm so glad you guys were okay. Jameson will be sad and confused. He, also, loved "Peter's" car.
So glad no one was injured! Good thing that Marilyn knows a thing or two about bucking snow drifts! Can't wait to find out what you name the new van! Keep me posted!
That was worse than I thought! What fun memories we have of you staying with us this past Christmas. Maybe we can make that a tradition. You guys are so much fun. Good luck with the new "White Beast".
WOW WOW WOW!!! That's all I can say!!!
My memories of the Gold Gorilla II..hmm....what I remember most is that it had quite an attraction to our 2 1/2 foot hedges at the corner of our driveway. My how that van loved to take a big bite out of those...and it was always when Marilyn was driving!! I also remember getting ready to jump into the van and picked up a shoe,a childrens book, half eaten apple and half of a sandwich off the seat to put on the floor and Marilyn non chalantly said.."Oh..that is just part of our 72 hour kit that we keep here in the van!" I laughed so hard!
Post a Comment